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|  » Stats |
Members: 50,187
Threads: 82,434
Posts: 853,804
Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, Della | |  | | 
03-09-2010, 04:11 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 4
| | | What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Hi all.....
Can anyone let me know what wildlife in any form is supported, improved or encouraged through the introduction or planting of willow rods in large beds or hedge formation.
The particular varieties of willow I'm interested in are Latin names: Salix Caprea, Salix Triandra, and Salix Viminalis.
I'm keen to find out what animals, birds, insects are attracted to, or what environmental or bio-diversity benefits are gained from planted beds of this willow.
Any information or sources to investigate would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Qiao |
03-09-2010, 04:49 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2010 Location: Snowdonia, N. Wales
Posts: 3,932
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Goat, Almond and Osier Willows, all being native will be a food resource for many animals, especially moths. The early pollen provides food for many insects. Several mammals also eat willow leaves, bark and shoots. The willow trees make great nesting and roosting sites for many birds.
Both Osier and Almond willows have traditionally been used in basket making and still are today. Increasingly willow is being used to help purify waste water. Its roots help to stabilize riverbaks against flooding; and young shoots grow at such a rate as to now be used as a biofuel.
Dorts.
Just one point Qiao. It may help if you are going to be writing a report on the willows that when using Latin names, only the Generic name should start with a capitol letter, not the specific, (except in special circumstances). |
03-09-2010, 05:33 PM
| | Frozen | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Brockenhurst
Posts: 763
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Most Willows are a great source of food for the honey bee Crack Willow being a prime example.
Ian |
03-09-2010, 06:52 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,238
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
 |
03-09-2010, 08:08 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Meols, Wirral
Posts: 1,512
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Willows support numerous fungi. The grey sallows just down the road from me are host to several fungi including the attractive Cortinarius uliginosus |
03-09-2010, 08:51 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Basingstoke, Hampshire
Posts: 443
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
My goodness, Posch! I hope that was "cut & paste" otherwise it must have taken hours to type  I don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive list!
Great info,
Jo
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06-09-2010, 09:09 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 4
| |  Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Thank you for your responses all. And to second what Jo said, that is a very extensive list Posch....many thanks. If anyone has further information, especially relating to specific birds and mammals, then any additional points will be welcomed and appreciated. Cheers, Qiao. |
07-09-2010, 07:24 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Romford, Essex
Posts: 5,356
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Willow overhanging water is where willow emerald (and possibly southern emerald) damselflies lay their eggs |
07-09-2010, 07:35 PM
|  | Knight Grand Cross of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 10,729
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
As already mentioned the numbers of insect species this plant supports is fantastic. This results in it being a great foraging habitat (not so great for nesting). Small warblers and tits like love it. |
07-09-2010, 08:54 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,238
| | | Re: What wildlife benefits does willow provide?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss Caretaker  My goodness, Posch! I hope that was "cut & paste" otherwise it must have taken hours to type I don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive list!
Great info,
Jo | Glad you liked it!
It was a cut&paste, but the original work did take hours of poring through all sorts of literature. The original also tabulates this information against 7 or 8 common species of willow, and tries to show what sort of relationship the species has with willows (nectar feeder, leaf feeder, sap sucker, predator of willow-specific insects) and so-on.
It certainly misses some associations: for instance fungus gnats and beetles, and of course things like oviposition sites for odonata which ukwildlifeo has pointed out. The main sources were the Ecoflora site of York University, Porter, Waring and Skinner and the NHM website for macromoths, Westrich and the Provisional Atlas of Aculeate Hymenoptera, Southwood and Leston for bugs; Aphids on the World's Trees for aphids, FSC Plant Gall Key, AES guide to foodplants of British Beetles, Hering for leaf miners, Spencer for Agromyzid flies. No doubt I've forgotten a few. 
Of course it also needs the dwarf and mountain willows to be added too! But all of that is a lot more work, and this thread seemed a great opportunity to share the basic info.
Posch
PS. I probably have a list of bird associations culled from BWP too  . Another good example are the woodpeckers which go for the larvae of the large xylophage (wood-feeding) insects. | | | |
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